Come One Come All to the Christmas Bird Count

CedarCity,Utah—Doyouenjoywatchingbirds?Wouldyoucallyourselfabirder?Orwouldyou like tolearnmoreaboutbirds?Ifyouansweredyestoanyofthesequestions,youshouldjointheBureauofLandManagement(BLM)on Dec. 14 and 15, 2012, for the annual ChristmasBirdCount.

Hosted by the National Audubon Society, theChristmasBirdCount isa yearly bird censusconducted nationwide during the holiday season.This year marks the 113th Christmas Bird Count, and everyone—families, students,volunteers,birders,biologistsandscientists—is invited to participate. During the counts, birdspeciesareidentifiedandinformation is recordedonachecklist that provides datacrucial to the study of thelong-termhealthandstatusofbirdpopulationsacrossNorthAmerica.

On Dec. 14 and 15, you can help BLM-Utah wildlife biologists identify and record counts of bird species on your public lands in southern Utah.On Friday, Dec. 14, Wildlife Biologist Lisa Church from the Kanab Field Office will be counting birds in the Kanab area; anyone interested in helping Lisa should meet at 8 a.m. at the Kanab Field Office, 669 South Highway 89A, Kanab, Utah.On Saturday, Dec. 15, Wildlife biologist Sheri Whitfield from the Cedar City Field Office will be counting birds near Zion National Park; anyone interested in helping Sheri, should meet at 7:45 a.m. in the parking lot immediately outside the Zion National Park west entrance.

Don’tmissoutonyourchancetoparticipateinthelongest-runningwildlifecensus in the United States and to contribute to the scientific study of bird populations living in your backyard.Please contact Sheriat (435)865-3065orLisaat (435)644-1273 for additional information on the Christmas Bird Count and how you can get involved.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.